Topiary is undergoing a renaissance at the moment especially since King Charles has created a topiary garden at Sandringham, declaring it to be a more sustainable option for the former lawn area. The result is an eye-catching combination of gravel paths, low box hedges surrounding planting areas together with classic topiary designs such as lollipop shaped trees and Chinese pergola style involving layers of three circles divided by portions of trunk.
As a landscape concept, topiary is a style dating back to Roman times. Over the centuries, it has been used to create knot gardens, mazes, labyrinths and parterre gardens utilising carefully clipped hedging in varying heights. Mention topiary today and most people tend to think automatically of trees and bushes sculpted in stylised shapes. Such shapes can range from traditional geometric forms to abstract and fantastical designs including mushrooms, animals, dragons and griffins. Visitors to Kentwell Hall in Suffolk are always amazed by the Pied Piper topiary striding across a hedge, while at Beaulieu, The Mad Hatter and Alice are among topiary characters sitting around a Thyme for Tea display.
Topiary can be used to great effect around the garden. Geometric shapes can add formality and structure, while a touch of whimsy always makes a good focal point. Use topiary outlines to train plants into shapes that will tell a story such as a duck with ducklings or fairy tale characters. It is worth considering inserting a topiary element to act as a contrast among planting styles such as providing a formal element within naturalistic planting.
Japanese themed gardens are equally ideal for incorporating topiary elements. The practice of Karikomi/sheared back styles involves shaping shrubs to echo nature for example, mounds of clipped evergreens can be used to create the concept of miniature rolling hills or mossy boulders beside trickling water.
Adding in topiary to a garden design can be achieved through carefully pruning existing shrubs and trees, training young plants to form a required shape or by buying in plants that have already been clipped and trained from specialist nurseries.
Creating Topiary Designs
Straightforward frames such as circles are widely available from garden centres. Bespoke frames for more complex designs complete with matching plants can be obtained from specialists like Agrumi.
Creating a topiary design from scratch is can be time consuming. It needs a lot of patience, a careful eye for detail and the right type of base plant. Evergreens like Box, holly, yew, myrtle, privet, ivy, lonicera nitida are the most commonly used plants utilised in the creation of topiary designs. These are plants that can be regularly pruned and clipped without damaging growth. Training plants with dense, healthy growth especially at the base tend to have a higher long term success rate. Bear in mind that the more you clip, emerging leaves will steadily become smaller in size, helping to maintain a sharp, well defined outline.
Large mature plants
For large, mature plants, the options are limited as it is hard to incorporate a topiary frame at this stage. There is little choice but to choose your design, map it out if possible and then start cutting and pruning. It is not a quick exercise as it is essential to create the exact image. Be prepared to step back regularly to check how it is looking, and ideally have someone to give a second opinion on whether you have cut enough or need to cut more.
If using an existing hedge to create a series of topiary shapes, begin by deciding exactly where to place the shapes within it. Select the central leading shoot and cut out side growth to match the required space. Initially it will look a little thin and flimsy, but with time and regular trimming to maintain the shape it will eventually become quite bushy. Patience is needed! Several years may be needed to create the desired result.
Geometric shapes
Simple shapes like circles, pyramids and balls are by far the easiest to achieve. If creating a standard plant such as a lollipop design, begin by selecting one shoot to act as the main stem. Tie this shoot to a cane, and remove lower stem shoots. A series of geometric shapes along a pathway or marking a central point can have a very stunning effect, resulting in the impression that a garden area is larger than it actually is.
Starting with a smaller plant and training it up into a desired shape can be a good alternative. This is particularly helpful if using a climber such as ivy since tendrils can be attached to the outline. Encourage it to grow and fill the gaps so as to fully cover the frame, removing excess growth as required. Patience is needed, since it may take a year or more before the desired outline is fully seen. Mulch well in spring, and add fertiliser every year to encourage healthy growth.
Container Topiary
Topiary container plants are particularly good for creating an instant impact. At Sandringham this summer, a wicker container filled with a small box topiary swan overlooking the lake attracted a lot of attention from visitors. An added advantage is that such plants can be easily moved around as needed.
Maintenance
Long term maintenance is straightforward – clip and prune the outlines to maintain the design. This requires a careful eye, ensuring just enough material is pruned away to keep the shape intact – a task that is not always easy if you are high on a ladder! Faster growing plants may need to be clipped two or three times every year. Suckers and unwanted branches should be removed as soon as they are identified.
Angela Youngman